HES4810 Portfolio | Due 27 November 2024

Description

HES4810 Portfolio. All questions answered. Question 1 (Mining EMPR)
1. The establishment of an open-cast coal mine may have detrimental effects on the receiving
environment. Use ONLY the information presented in the Lessons regarding environmental
aspects on which mining activities may have an impact, as well as the three documents listed
below to explain how the proposed mining activities influence each of these 12 aspects and
suggest mitigation measures on how they can be mitigated to acceptable standards. Use the
following headings to present your answer in a narrative format for each aspect: Name of aspect
Impact/s of mining x2 Mitigation measures x2 Where you use information from the Lessons and
the three sources listed, you must read and present the relevant information in your own words
and reference the source.  Question 2
2. Using a practical example of your choice, differentiate between Environmental Impact
Assessment and Environmental Monitoring briefly discuss the importance of conducting an EIA
for a project and monitoring the implementation of an EMPr during all the project phases (i.e.,
planning, construction and operation). Question 3
3. Use the IEM Series document of the Department of Water Affairs: Environmental ‘Best
Practice Specifications: Construction’ (found under ‘Additional Resources) and the readings
below to argue mechanical versus chemical vegetation clearance methods by pointing out each
method’s positive and negative impacts.  Question 4
4.1. Use only the information from HES4810 Lessons to answer this question. Use your snipping
tool/print screen to copy and paste how mitigation can be organized in a hierarchy of actions to
reduce impacts as suggested by UNEP. 4.2. Considering this hierarchy of actions to mitigate impacts, provide one real-life practical
example for each of the three mitigation actions. Describe what the proposal was and how it
was/could be changed to reduce environmental impacts.  Question 5
5.South Africa signed a new bill on climate change in July 2024 to reduce the impact of climate
change. During COP debates, it is re-treated that Africa is bearing impacts from the West (i.e.,
developed countries) as the impact of climate change is interconnected. Africa is experiencing
frequent extreme climatic events such as snow, floods, and drought. As evidenced, Africa does
not have enough capacity to deal with the aftermath impacts of these events. As an aspiring
Environmental Impact Assessor, explain the role that African tertiary institutions and
researchers can play in developing evidence-based mitigation and adaptation measures that can
assist African communities to cope and adapt better to the impacts of climate change.  Question 6
6. Consult the noise assessment for the Kriel Mine (see ‘Kriel mine ESKOM Noise Assessment
2017’ in Additional resources) and answer the questions below. Where you use the internet or
other resources, you must reference it according to the Harvard method.
6.1. What is a noise assessment? 6.2. Elaborate on why conducting a noise assessment for this development was necessary. 6.3. Describe what methodology was followed for this assessment. 6.4. Provide the impact and mitigation for each Pre-construction, Construction and Operational
phase.  Question 7 (report on a WMP running one (1) month)
7. In assignment 2, you identified a business of your choice to run a Waste Management Plan.
Now, you must report on this plan. Use the waste management plan for small operations
presented in the Lessons to adapt it practically to a project for a business of your choice.
Compile a waste management plan for implementation for at least one month at a business near
you. Write a report of not more than 1,5 pages to give feedback to clearly explain the entire
project: how you approached and convinced the business to allow you to work out a waste
minimisation plan for them, what the plan is, what implementation problems were experienced
and what the benefits were to the business. Add a letter signed by the manager/owner (presented
in ass 2), as well as photographic evidence of your progress. The letter and photos can be added
to the 1.5- page report (i.e., one and a half pages, including everything). Marks will be subtracted
from reports that are longer than 1.5 pages. Letters and photos may be uploaded as appendixes,
and students must indicate as such in their answer sheets if this approach is adopted.   Question 8
8. For each of the following statements, indicate if it is ‘true’ or ‘false’. If it is false, motivate by
providing the corrected statement.
8.1. In a scenario where bad road building leads to erosion, road building is the aspect, and
erosion is the cause. 8.2. A construction site on virgin land should be demarcated with solid boundary walls, and
vegetation clearance should be done working from the boundary wall to the middle of the site to
facilitate the collection of stripped vegetation. 8.3. Persons who want to remove firewood and plants with medicinal value from a site meant for
a new development should apply for a permit. 8.4. During construction, stockpiled topsoil is to be turned regularly to keep it aerated. 8.5. Large trees should be used for shaded parking on a construction site. 8.6. Large trees that need to be conserved should be marked with a bright colour paint to
enhance visibility. 8.7. A French drain system is the preferred sewerage system with a high-water table in sandy
soils. 8.8. Plants in an on-site nursery should be replanted every four (4) months. 8.9. To safeguard a construction site, lights around the perimeter should brightly illuminate the
entire area to detect perpetrators in a timely manner. 8.10. The paved vehicle parking area on a construction site should be regularly cleaned with
detergents to remove oil from leaking vehicles.